'The Bachelor' star Nick Viall: I don't want a watered-down version of reality, I say what I think for better or worse

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/01/2017

The Bachelor star Nick Viall is known to be candid, even when it got him into some trouble in the past, so he expects the same from his 30 bachelorettes.

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"When you're going to consider spending the rest of your life with someone, you need to have some pretty transparent conversations," Viall told People.

"If you're taking it seriously, you have to be willing to have those conversations and be open about it. You can't have a watered down version of the real world, especially if you're considering proposing."

"For better or worse, I say what I'm thinking or say what other people are thinking and might be afraid to say," Viall admitted. "I think you can take things seriously and still have fun. I think that offers a more realistic setting."

The 36-year-old software salesman said he's "a big believer in transparency" when it comes to any type of relationship in life.

Viall apparently learned his lesson after determining Dorfman wasn't honest with him about her feelings from the get-go on The Bachelorette's tenth season -- the only reason why Viall claims he revealed on After the Final Rose that the pair had sex in the Fantasy Suite. (Dorfman was engaged to winner Josh Murray at the time of Viall's shocking announcement).

"There are things I like to keep personal, but at the same time, I think one theme you'll see throughout [my Bachelor season], is that I wanted all the women to feel incredibly comfortable and empowered to ask me whatever they wanted to ask me -- knowing that I would give them an honest answer and that it would be a two-way street," Viall explained.

The new Bachelor told People he wanted every relationship to therefore feel like a "mutual" one.

"I wanted every relationship to feel like... we were on the same playing field and that we were both just as empowered as the other person," Viall elaborated. "I wanted to have an authentic relationship and that was something that was very important to me throughout the entire season."

As for whether Viall is going to watch Season 21 unfold on television, Viall confirmed, "I'm definitely going to watch it. I watched it even when things weren't so good. If I can endure Andi's season and Kaitlyn's season, I think I can endure this."